Hi yall! It’s been awhile since I last posted… some might remember me by my old (deadname) em***wilde, but in late 2020 i came out as nonbinary and changed my name recently to Fox (they/them pronouns).
I have also gotten into crochet pretty hardcore in the last few months. Recently I started this crescent moon vest with acrylic yarn, i think it’s the 1lb caron. The kind that’s not soft at all and is actually quite stiff. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it earlier when I started, but this is for my kid sis, and she had a back surgery recently so I would love to know from people with experience, how did you make the really stiff yarn softer? I’m aware that there are multiple ways, I would love to hear from people who have tried and hopefully succeeded.
Project is the luna vest, by the weavingwitch. Pic for fun…
I have a huge afghan in that yarn (several different colors) and washing and drying seems to have done the trick. I think a lot of commercial yarns are treated with stabilizers of some sort that wash out. It does pill and any fringe will be destroyed (learned that the hard way), but it gets softer in the wash. Also, some colors are softer than others, even in the same yarn.
Oh that’s good! 
and i definitely will not try to add fringe, but it does seem like it would be fitting for this sort of airy hippie aesthetic. Thanks!
I don’t have any suggestions, just wanted to say it’s good to see you! Hope you share the finished project! 
It’s lovely! If it is going to be worn over another piece of clothing, I wouldn’t worry about the softness that much. Items that are going against bare skin, like scarves, are the most concern for me. I love fringe on items. I find tying a knot at the end of each piece helps, but it is very time consuming. I’ve also use a dab of fabric glue to stop the yarn from fraying too much. If you have spare yarn, maybe the frayed fringe would be fine. I have a boho style crochet bag that I knotted some of the fringe and just let the others fray away.
Can’t wait for the finished project. Welcome back and don’t be a stranger!
Yarn is my kryptonite, so no help from me, but it looks great. I love the color and the moon.
Welcome back!! and I hope you share the finished project when it’s done! 
Hi Fox!